This application relates generally to a turbine blade damper-seal assembly.
Conventional gas turbine engines include a turbine assembly that has a plurality of turbine blades attached about a circumference of a turbine rotor. Each of the turbine blades is spaced a distance apart from adjacent turbine blades to accommodate movement and expansion during operation. Each blade includes a root that attaches to the rotor, a platform, and an airfoil that extends radially outwardly from the platform.
Hot gases flowing over the platform are prevented from leaking between adjacent turbine blades by a seal as components below the platform are generally not designed to operate for extended durations at the elevated temperatures of the hot gases. The seal is typically a metal sheet nested between adjacent turbine blades on an inner surface of the platform. The seal is flexible so as to conform to the inner surface of the platform and prevent the intrusion of hot gases below the platform of the turbine blade. Typically, the seal is disposed against a radially outboard inner surface of the platform of the turbine blade and is pressurized by relatively cooler high pressure air. Significant usage of the cooler high pressure air will be detrimental to engine performance and should be minimized.
In addition to the seal it is common practice to include a damper between adjacent turbine blades to dissipate potentially damaging vibrations. The damper is sized to provide sufficient mass and rigidity to dissipate vibration from the turbine blade.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a seal and damper assembly which achieves an effective seal of gaps between adjacent high pressure turbine blade platforms, and dampening of high pressure turbine blade platforms when fully assembled in a turbine disk.